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Staffing

Examiner: David ThorpeModerator: David Dowling

Synopsis

Students of engineering and surveying need to understand and be convinced that through their future professional work they will relate to the rest of society. Throughout their careers they will need to strive to ensure that this relationship is meaningful and successful. Only then will they earn respect for themselves and their profession, and ensure their work will be valued and recognised. For engineers and surveyors to meet their responsibilities towards society they must be able to appreciate how politics, culture, economics and the law affect their work and how their work impacts on different sections of the community and the physical environment. They must also be prepared to deal with the issue of long-term sustainability. The goal of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and attitudes that would help them promote and defend their work within their profession and within society at large.

Objectives

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. On completion of this course students should be able to:

deduce the causal factors behind technological developments in different cultures and during different periods of human history;

assess the basis of common criticisms of modern technology;

determine the relevance of social structure and cultural values to the engineering or surveying professions;

propose strategies that would help professionals to function effectively in a multi-cultural environment;

illustrate the political dimension of engineering and surveying activities;

identify ethical and legal constraints that are most likely to concern professional engineers or surveyors;

identify and discuss conflicts between client and societal expectations;

assess the likely effects of economic policies on technological enterprises;

demonstrate an awareness of the key factors that may influence the practice of engineering in an overseas country.

Topics

Description

Weighting(%)

1.

History of Engineering and Surveying Technology from different civilisations Technological development in Australia Reasons behind technological development at different times and places Recent criticisms of technological development

10.00

2.

Models of Society Self-Interest versus Community Interest Social Structure The social importance of work

10.00

3.

Politics and Power Nature and role of Government Government in Australia Key models in Government

10.00

4.

Law and Regulation The Australian Legal System International Law Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of the Engineer or Surveyor

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://bookshop.usq.edu.au/bookweb/subject.cgi?year=2011&sem=03&subject1=ENG2002)

Assessment details

Student Administration will advise students of the dates of their examinations during the semester.

Important assessment information

Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)

Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances then a penalty of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late up to a maximum of ten working days at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.

Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade in a course a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks for the course.

Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

Examination information:
In a Closed Examination, candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the examination.

Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the examination period at the end of the semester of the next offering of this course.

Assessment notes

The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner.

Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be produced within five days if required by the Examiner.

In accordance with University's Assignment Extension Policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner of a course may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances.

The usual method of assessment submission for the Faculty is by written, typed or printed paper-based media (i) submitted to the Faculty Office for students enrolled in the course in the on-campus mode, or (ii) mailed to the USQ for students enrolled in the course in the external mode. The due date for the assessment is the date by which a student must (i) submit the assessment for students enrolled in the on-campus mode, or (ii) mail the assessment for students enrolled in the external mode.

The Faculty will NOT normally accept submission of assessments by facsimile or email.

If electronic submission of assessments is specified for the course, students will be notified of this in the course Introductory Book and on the USQ Study Desk. All required electronic submission must be made through the Assignment Drop Box located on the USQ Study Desk for the course, unless directed otherwise by the examiner of the course. The due date for an electronically submitted assessment is the date by which a student must electronically submit the assignment. The assignment files must be submitted by 11.59pm on the due date using USQ time (as displayed on the clock on the course home page; that is, Australian Eastern Standard Time).

Students who do not have regular access to postal services for the submission of paper-based assessments, or regular access to Internet services for electronic submission, or are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements prior to the submission date.

Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded one of the temporary grades: IM (Incomplete - Make up), IS (Incomplete - Supplementary Examination) or ISM (Incomplete -Supplementary Examination and Make up). A temporary grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non directed personal study.

Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/referencing/default.htm

Evaluation and benchmarking

In meeting the University's aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course: 1. conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement. 2. forms part of the Bachelor of Engineering and/or Bachelor of Engineering Technology program and Bachelor of Spatial Science program and is benchmarked against the: - USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review; and - professional accreditation standards of Engineers Australia and Surveyors Board of Queensland.